Carbon- and Plastic-Free Costa Rica

Costa Rica announced a major goal — it plans to be both plastic and carbon free by 2021. This impressive accomplishment promises to have a massive influence around the world as it proves environmental awareness is worth the effort.

The country’s dedication to saving the environment started years ago in the 1980s when the government first acknowledged the need to preserve its most precious resource — the environment. Since then, there have been initiatives toward renewable energy, reforestation and nature preservation.

Since 1994 the country has produced 99 percent of its energy from renewable resources like solar power, geothermal power, hydroelectric power and wind turbines. These efforts allowed the country to become one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy.

In 2017, the government announced plans to ban all single-use plastic by 2021 and, in 2018, they followed up with plans to ban fossil fuels, bringing the country’s environmentally friendly plan full circle. The country’s transition to plastic and carbon free by next year will coincide with the country’s 200th anniversary as a nation.

Costa Rica, a small country compared to powerhouses like the United States and China, is making a name for itself as a world leader when it comes to being environmentally responsible, hopefully setting a trend for the rest of the world to follow.